Pages

Monday, September 2, 2013

Harder, Better, Faster, and Stronger All At Once

Want to put on lean body mass, get stronger, and improve your endurance all at once?Traditional training wisdom says that you can't -- that to achieve each adaptation, you must concentrate on them one at a time. Such is the premise of the linear periodization model, which calls for spending a few weeks training for each adaptation individually (muscular endurance, hypertrophy, and strength).

For example, weeks 1-4 would be spent training for muscular endurance, with weights chosen such that 12 or more reps can be completed. Weeks 5-8 would be for hypertrophy (increase in lean body mass), picking weights corresponding to at least 6 reps but no more than 12. Finally, weeks 9-12 would be dedicated to strength, going so heavy that at most 6 reps are possible.The following chart details the protocols for each phase of training:

Training Adaptation

Load

Sets

Reps

Rest

Muscular endurance

Light

2-3

≥12

<30 seconds

Hypertrophy*

Moderate

3-6

6-12

30-90 seconds

Strength

Heavy

2-6

≤6

2-5 minutes

Sure, linear periodization works to improve size, strength, and stamina. But at the turn of the century, researchers found they could do better. Enter daily undulating periodization (DUP): the revolutionary approach to training that calls for training all the adaptations in a single training week.To delve into the specifics of DUP, let's take a look back at the training week we planned out in Plug-and-Play Program Design:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Hip

Deadlift

Pull

Pull-up

Hip

Uni stiff-leg deadlift

Pull

Face pull

Push

Push-up

Pull

Sweep

Pull

Dumbbell row

Push

Dip

Pull

Recline row

Hip

Swing

Push

Vertical throw

Hip

Supine jackknife

Core

Pallof press

Core

Landmine

Core

Flutter kick

Core

Planks

Knee

Lunge

Core

Ab wheel

Knee

Goblet squat

Hip

Side-lying abd.

Push

OH press

Push

Skull crusher

Push

Bench press

Knee

Box jump

Pull

Farmer's carry

Pull

Curl

Core

Prone jackknife

Pull

Slams

Core

Bird dog

Knee

Jump rope

Pull

Y/T/W/L

Core

Rotational throw

To apply undulating periodization to this model, we repeatedly cycle through a single day of each training adaptation, as detailed in the following chart:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Day 1 – Strength

Day 1 – Hypertrophy

Day 1 – Muscular endurance

Day 2 – Hypertrophy

Day 2 – Muscular endurance

Day 2 – Strength

Day 3 – Muscular endurance

Day 3 – Strength

Day 3 – Hypertrophy

Day 4 – Strength

Day 4 – Hypertrophy

Day 4 – Muscular endurance

Thanks to the fact that we have four different workouts and three different adaptations, we wind up with a total of 12 unique workout-adaptation combinations. How's that for variety?

One important thing to note is that accessory lifts (single-joint movements, core exercises, and anything targeting smaller muscles) should always be high rep, regardless of the desired adaptation of the day. That is, even on a strength day, exercises like curls, side-lying abduction, and prone jackknife should be performed in sets of at least 10 or 12.

Forget the old linear periodization model, and follow this DUP program religiously for six weeks (two three-week cycles). In that time, you will get leaner, stronger, and better conditioned than any previous six-week stretch of your life.